Collections

The library provides students, faculty, and staff of The Claremont Colleges access to over 2.1 million resources in a variety of formats.

Books

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The library’s sizable print collection covers topics in arts & humanities, social sciences, STEM, and interdisciplinary fields. In additional to print books, the library has a significant collection of electronic books provided on a range of platforms, most of which can be either downloaded or read online. This search will return only items held by The Claremont Colleges Library–you can change the scope of the search using the left side panel on the results page.

Databases & Journals

Search or browse hundreds of databases and electronic journals. Databases are tools to help you discover information across all disciplines in a range of formats including full-text journal articles, citations, data and statistics, primary sources, images, media and more. Alternatively, search for journals by title in the e-journals look-up.

Books, DVDs, and other course materials are available on the second floor of the library in our Course Readings Area.

These materials are meant to be easily accessible to your entire class throughout the semester. Students can use these materials in the Course Readings Area of the library or check them out for 4 hours at a time.

Please ask at the Main Services Desk for assistance with any Course Readings.

The Claremont Colleges Library is a United States Federal and California State depository library. We have been a federal depository since 1913 and a state depository since 1952.

Almost all current (since 2006) government documents are available electronically through Library Search. Records for selected documents back to 1976 are also available via Library Search. You can search by subject, title, or the Government Documents number (not a piece of information you usually have).

International Government Documents (IGO’s); California State and Local (most) are cataloged using LC classification and integrated into the library’s main collection. They can be found using Library Search.

California State Government Documents are classified using LC Classification, available via Library Search, but housed in a separate location, at the end of the U.S. Government Documents Collection on the first floor of Mudd.

Local Government Documents are scattered, mostly in the main stacks, available through Library Search, and not currently collected.

British Government Documents (a substantial print collection) are not classified or in Library Search. They are housed in a separate collection located at the beginning of the U.S. Government Documents collection on the first floor of Mudd. There are some finding tools shelved at the beginning of the collection.

Special Collections holds collections of literary and historical manuscripts, rare books, and Claremont Colleges’ history. Claremont Colleges students, faculty, staff, and alumni as well as the public are welcome.

Book of Hours (Dutch), Crispin 21

15th C., illuminated manuscript

William Smith map legend

Geological cross-section from Smith's A Geologic Map of England and Wales (1815)

The Asian Library of The Claremont Colleges is a distinguished library within The Claremont Colleges Library noted for our holdings of rare books, manuscripts, and artifacts from China, Japan, and Korea.

Chinese movable type

Vase and Lacquer Ruyi

Hai Guo Tu Zhi 海國圖志 (2)

Hai Guo Tu Zhi 海國圖志 (2)

Cabinet for Gilded Statues of the Buddha

Cabinet for Gilded Statues of the Buddha

Digital Collections

The Claremont Colleges digital collections include:

Claremont Colleges Digital Library (CCDL), which provides access to historical and visual resources and collections created both by and for The Claremont Colleges community.

Scholarship@Claremont is an open access repository of academic and scholarly research produced by The Claremont Colleges academic community.

We partner with faculty, students, and staff to provide a vital physical and digital center for research, teaching, learning, and other forms of intellectual engagement at The Claremont Colleges. Our Core Values explain why we take such pride in our work. They are the source of our passion, energy, professionalism, and productivity. These commonly shared values guide everything we do: User-centeredness, inclusivity, innovation, collaboration, education, community, discovery, stewardship.